Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed :
After the fall of the fascist government of Hasina, the formation of a new government under the leadership of Dr. Yunus has brought relief to the people and renewed hope. The people of Bangladesh are happy to have Dr. Yunus as the current leader and are hopeful about his leadership.
Despite the current unstable situation in the country, the Yunus government is showing great efficiency in carrying out service activities for the people. The government has faced many internal and external challenges since the beginning. The present government of India is not friendly towards Dr. Yunus’s government, rather they are trying to disrupt the activities of the government by creating problems in various ways. Realizing the importance of this threat, the government has recently taken initiatives to unite the nation through the unity of the country’s political parties. It is clear that the nation must remain united in times of crisis. But sadly, we see a different picture in our political parties. There is a difference of opinion between BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami over some steps of the current government, which is sending a wrong message to the people. Politics is always for the people and the country, and that will be the top priority. Personal and party interests should not always be given priority over national interests. All parties should sit together and find a way to work together in the national interest. Any step beyond this will be disastrous for the nation. When the nation expects good relations between these two political parties, they should unite and help the government to face external threats.
The initiative of the student leaders to form a new political party should not be discouraged, but welcomed by other political parties. They need to be encouraged to come forward in politics so that they can contribute to the formation of a new Bangladesh. They can have a political platform of their own and they can participate in the next election with their manifesto. There is no problem in this, but they should stay away from power politics. No political party should be allowed to become a party of greed. If necessary, they will play the role of opposition in parliament. In the national interest, all political parties, big or small, will have to work together for the next few years, until the country is stable and ready to face all internal and external challenges. Although internal challenges can be overcome, external challenges are much more difficult to overcome. India is a permanent threat to Bangladesh. The nation will be able to effectively deal with them only when we are united. There should be a national consensus on the issue. Above all, we must put our trust in God Almighty. We have to move forward with courage and honesty. Only then will the desired result be achieved. The country will get respect and dignity and our position in the world assembly will also be strengthened. They must have strong leadership and ability to play a role in the modern globalization system. Then only Bangladesh will be known as a self-reliant and prosperous country.
Our educated youth should know that politics is the enlightened process of governing. There is no place for happiness. We have learned from philosophers like Plato, Rousseau and many others about what politics means. Politics is not about looting people’s money or corruption. A political leader has to have deep knowledge and a strong sense of responsibility towards the people. There is no area of public life where the political process of destruction of democracy has not had a detrimental effect. There was no hesitation or reluctance on the part of the university students or teachers to become activists of the politics of unprincipled division. Due to the responsible and restrained role of the Patriotic Army, it has been possible to form an interim government under the leadership of Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. The post-revolution interim government is working hard to rebuild the economy and return the country to the path of independent and sustainable democracy. We have to do the work of brightening the future of our youth on our own and forget the habit of looking back at the failed leadership. Some corrupt leaders of the past have done irreparable damage to the present young generation. When young people look ahead, they do not see a promising and secure future due to these failure leaderships.
We must say that this New Year is dramatically different from any other New Year we have celebrated. Our nation has gone through a profound transition, one that has brought with it unimaginable possibilities and extraordinary opportunities. The most remarkable part is that one of the least empowered and apparently most politically apathetic sections of the population – the youth-has become a serious political force. What began as a student-led uprising – sparked by the injustices of an entrenched and repressive government – became the rallying cry for freedom. These young people, some of whom paid the ultimate price for their convictions, have done what seemed impossible: they have united the people, toppled a government that turned into a grotesque parody of power, and forged a path towards a new political order. Standing in the face of live ammunition, willing to sacrifice their lives, they showed a courage that will resonate in the nation’s memory for generations. We cannot – and must not – forget the lives lost in this struggle or the thousands whose bodies bear the permanent scars of their fight for justice.
(The writer is former Deputy Director General, Bangladesh
Ansar and VDP).
